Moseley Architects Designs the Military’s First LEED Gold Brig

The MCIEAST Regional Brig at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification with the Green Building Certification Institute. The 75-bed pre-trial confinement facility continues the Navy’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through high-performance design and is distinguished as the military’s first LEED Gold brig.

Due to their nature, correctional facilities often consume vast amounts of energy and water. Consequently the design-build team, a joint venture featuring Enviro AgScience, M.B. Kahn Construction Company, and Moseley Architects, collaborated with the Navy to determine the most appropriate strategies to reduce consumption, including integrating high performance HVAC systems and envelope materials into a design that also met the Navy’s security and impact resistance requirements (such FEMA 361). As a result, MCIEAST is modeled to achieve 39 percent energy savings, which readily exceeds the requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 of 30 percent.

Emphasizing the importance of energy independence and reducing lifecycle operating costs, Peter McWilliams, who serves as part of Camp Lejeune’s Installation Development Division, commented on the importance of LEED principles to the U.S. Marine Corps. “Energy reduction was extremely important to the base for this particular building due to its 24/7 operation. With this building’s unique mission, having a design firm and construction team that had the knowledge to incorporate LEED principles to help achieve the energy goals was invaluable.”

The project also featured an emphasis on waste recycling during construction and was able to divert 97 percent of all construction and debris from landfills. This reduction greatly exceeded Camp Lejeune’s current recycling goals and supports the attainment of Executive Orders 13514 and 13423.

John Nichols, a sustainability coordinator with Moseley Architects, reflected on the project. “From a LEED perspective, this was a smooth sailing project. The Enviro AgScience JV project team paid close attention to the Navy’s very detailed LEED requirements from the initial RFP all the way through the end of construction, which enabled us to constantly monitor our compliance. Even under a NAVFAC Best Value award, the team succeeded in both supporting Camp Lejeune’s Environmental Policy and significantly reducing the Navy’s total cost of ownership for this new facility.”

MCIEAST marks the 52nd LEED certified project for Moseley Architects, who has been partnering with clients to meet sustainability and energy efficiency goals for both new and renovated facilities since 2000.